A Brief Look at Our History
“…It was a beautiful morning. As I looked out my balcony window I marveled at the cityscape below. Tiny figures bustled about in the streets, countless humans and their syn workers going about their daily business. The sun reflected off of the passing skycabs and the windows of the towering buildings… I thought about how much this nation has accomplished, how far we have come. I pondered the glorious future when my train of thought was interrupted by a brilliant flash, then another and another. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, realizing that I couldn’t see anymore. I stood up, stubbing my toe and in that instant the world crashed in all around me…” Maeril Jones, A Survivors Account, digital entry one week after nuclear exchange. Post World Ender period (3442-2400 BP) We can go no further than the Great End War, The World Ender, the Old Death of Man. Burnt to cinders in the nuclear holocaust, almost all historical records were lost. The Earth went from a vibrant world of tens of billions of souls, to a lifeless husk containing no more than two hundred million people in a matter of minutes. Nobody is sure exactly how the war started, but the Syns, those who can remember, hint at religious tensions as the spark that blew it all to pieces. Immediately after the remnants of man crawled from the radioactive rubble, scattered groups began to band together for survival. The most successful communities took up residence in the Agri-Silos that had survived off the coasts of the major cities. Though many groups survived, and began to thrive, the remaining comforts of civilization began to wane. Over time, mankind was sinking into barbarity, to a level not known for thousands of years. Those who had firsthand knowledge of the Old World, died one by one, and as the information was passed from generation to generation, science turned into myth. Just as mankind was about to sink into a new dark age, the Syns returned. Created by a feat of technology bordering on the mystical, the Syns were more than machine, but not quite man. They were mans servants, built to focus on a particular trade or profession. They were the last connection to civilization left of the old world. As one, they returned to communities across the globe, searching out their former masters. They did not know why or how they had returned. It was thousands of years since the World Ender. The EMP pulses must have wiped out all but their core programming and shut them down, to sleep for all time. Yet, somehow they had awakened, and returned to man in an hour of great need. Reconstruction-Post Reconstruction periods (2401-486 BP) The Syns taught man how to rebuild much that was lost. A period of renwed civilization swept the planet and scattered communities began to communicate. Slowly, the population grew, infrastructure was bulit, the environment improved, trade flourished and a new government began to form. In 1350 BP the leaders of the new Civilized Regions met for the first time. Six elected officials, the leaders of the surviving populations, joined to form a single united planetary government. Though each region maintained its independence from the others, they all worked towards a common goal. The Council of the Six became the new leaders of mankind and were the nucleus that eventually became Union Core Command. Under the benevolent leadership of the Council of Six, mankind prospered. The Syns were recognized for their contributions to humanity and in the Act of Sentient Truth, declared 'Other Life...Syn Life... equal to Biological Life.. and subject to all of the rights and privileges of mankind'. An unshakable bond was forged between Man and Syn that would only grow as the years went on... In time, government became known as the Union of Humanity, or just simply, the Union. Also, in its due time, Man reached out into the cold depths of space and created colonies on the moon and mars. Earth grew powerful and wealthy as the years turned into centuries. War was unknown, crime was a memory and the many cultures of mankind lived in peace together. With the vision of peace assured, mankind gazed further afar into the heavens and thirst for the stars themselves. The drive to explore and expand opened up a wealth of new technologies and innovations that allowed the construction of the first ever extra-stellar starship. In 1195 BP, the Hope of Man was finally completed. Citizens celebrated across the Union as five hundred colonists departed on a sixty year journey to our nearest stellar companion, Alpha Nova. Unfortunately, a mere two standard years into ther voyage, all contact was lost. The public mourned over the horrendous loss of life and the collossal amount of capital that was lost with the ship. For now, the thirst for the stars was quenched, leaving a sour taste in the collective palate of man. Space travel on such a scale was too risky and much too expensive, so man looked back to the Earth, and put its fervour into other exploits. First on the list was the mystery of human suffering... With a massive amount of human and syn brain power and capital, medical breakthroughs bordering on magic were accomplished. Life spans were increased, diseases were eradicated and people were healthier and happier than ever before in human history. Indeed, it looked as if immortality itself was just around the corner. As the march of time progressed, populations swelled and cityscapes grew until they touched the heavens themselves. Population controls were passed and growth stabilized. For a time, little changed and before long, mankind began to grow restless... Political zones, one after another, began to demand the right to complete autonomy from Union government. Humanity was divided in half, between those who saw unification as the only viable means to a successful future, and those who wanted their individual cultures and ethnicities to carve out their own futures. Riots became a global problem, no major population centre escaped the incessant protests. It seemed that perhaps humanity was heading down an old familiar path... Amidst the quarelling crowds and meddling beaurocrats, the screaming din of protest and the stomping of a million marchers, all eyes were drawn towards the heavens. Strange metallic objects began to rain from the sky, all over the Earth they poured forth, like an unstoppable meteor shower. They had entered the solar system undetected and uncontested. Humanity was so self involved that it never thought of watching the void for threats. So, as mankind watched in fear and wonder at first contact, the objects kept falling and falling, until eventually there was silence. The citizens of the Union of Humanity had one moment of utter silence, enough time to take a breath, their last breath of freedom and peace for a hundred years... Shraah Invasion (485-380 BP) Out of the smoking craters crawled a sickening menace that would plague mankind for generations. The Shraah: Space Toads, the Vile Ones, the Star Virus every name conceivable does not convey the gravity of this abomination. By whatever name you call them they were all murderous, disease ridden animals, lacking empthay, mercy and compassion. They had intelligence, that was evident in their various forms of technology, but it showed nowhere else. From the start they spread like a vast rolling cloud of locusts, establishing a staggering beachhead overnight. The invasion commenced...The Shraah waged a genocidal campaign that decimated the human population. Cities burned across the globe and whole armies fell into oblivion. Billions of lives were lost by a foe woes ultimate goals were unknown. Were they here to colonize Earth, adding it to an expanding empire? Were they a nomadic race looking to finally settle down? Or were they simply a sick race of killers who prospered in the destruction of life? The true reason was never found, but the consensus leaned strongly towards the latter. During this time of trial, a new breed of human was forged. Entire families marched to war, warrior clans fighting with a ferocity that made the Vile Shraah themselves pause. The Shraah began to fall in droves, many heroes arose in this time, many whose names are invoked unto this very day. Yet, even with this warrior spirit, it was not enough. Drastic measures needed to be taken. With great reserve and regret, a solution was unanimously voted 17-0, by the Joint Union and Core Command War Council. All secretly recovered nuclear and biological weapons were to be used to cleanse the Earth once and for all of the Shraah infestation. For three intense weeks, the globe boiled and choked in an unending wave of precise strikes against Shraah forces. The Vile Ones reeled at this sudden onslaught and after only a month, the last Space Toads died in agony. As the Earth lay in a smoking ruin, humanity embraced their newfound freedom.